William h



(No Model.)

W, H. BERGER & D. B. ROCK. SNOW GUARD AND BREAKER FOR ROOFS.

Patented 001;. 31, 1893.

NITED STATES WILLIAM H. BERGER, OF WYNCOTE, AND DANIEL B. ROCK, OF FAIRFIELD,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO SAID BERGER.

SNOW GUARD AND BREAKER FOR ROOFS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 507,776, dated October 31, 1893.

Application filed February 8, 1893- Serial No. 461,454. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. BERGER, residing at Wyncote, in the county of Montgomery, and DANIEL B. ROCK, residing at Fairfield, in the county of Adams, State .of Pennsylvania, citizens of the United States, haveinventedcertainnewanduseful Improvements in Snow Guards and Breakers for Roofs, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has relation to snow-guards and breakers for roofs and has for its objects the provision of a novel, simple and efiicient device, designed and adapted to be readily and quickly applied to the roof, Without injury thereto, and to cause the breaking up or disintegration of the body of snow or ice on such roof and prevent its sliding therefrom in this last mentioned condition, or in large pieces, and the consequences thereof.

Heretofore, it-has been customary to provide, where the roof-covering is of, slate, shingle, tile, &c., a rail or gutter extending across, from side to side of, the roof and supported by brackets which project under the slates, 8210., which brackets, should they become displaced, as they frequently do, cannot be replaced by securing them to the wood beneath the roof-covering, without the removal of a portion of each upper course of the latter, said rail or gutter being only partially effective, in that, while it prevents the snow next the roof from sliding in a body, which it does not, however, break up and permit to slide in pieces, it fails to prevent the sliding of the upper layer or layers of snow and ice over its top and over the substratum of snow. Furthermore, in the case of metal roofs, the latter have had to be pierced or bored through, resulting in the'injury thereof and increasing the liability to leakage, in order to secure a hold for the rail or gutter-support.

Our invention'consists of a snow-guard and breaker, primarily intended for use on metal roofs and for securing to the standingseams thereof, the same being composed of malleable iron or other similarly flexible metal, and consisting of a vertical, or approximately vertical, head-plate or fender extending transversely of the seam upon which it is sustained and provided with a rearwardly projecting arm or shank, inclined correspondingly with the pitch of and secured to such seam, the fastening medium consisting of lateral extensions of the shank-arm, which pass over the seam and have each an inwardly projecting point or tooth, the latter being adapted, when said extensions are pinched or driven inwardly, to pierce said seam and enter openings in said shank, clamping the guard and breaker firmly and quickly in position, without the least injury to the roof, said guard and breaker operating to prevent the lodgment of any snow and ice, when the same is in motion and leaving the roof practically free of obstruction, at thesame time breaking the body of such snow and ice, as it moves, into fragments resulting in the perfect clearing of the roof and the relief of the latter of the weight incidental to the lodgment of a considerable portion thereof.

Our invention further consists in the details of construction and the combinations of parts as hereinafter fully described and claimed and as shown-in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved guard and breaker detached. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same in position for use, the flat of'the roof-metal being shown in section; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a standing seam and the shank of the guard and breaker at one of the points of attachment.

In said drawings, the head-plate or fender A is of peculiar shape and quite ornamental, having curved side wings a a which extend a considerable distance from the sides of the seam B which supports it, yet not so far as midway between that and the next seam, and reach downwardly into close relation with the fiat b of the roof-covering, the ends a a of said wings being of diminished width, while there is an intervening space, formed by the concavities a a in the under sides of said wings, between the ends of the latter and said scam, the eltect being that the snow or ice cannot lodge or pile up at the sides of the seam, as it would were this space not present, while, even if a guard and breaker be placed on each seam, their ends will not meet and close the space between them, preventing the lodgment of snow and ice between the seams and leaving the roof practically clear of obstruction and free from such lodgment at any and every point. At the same time, the diminished ends of the fender-wings serve to break the body of snow or ice, as it slides, into pieces of such size as to preclude the possibility of their causing damage.

Projecting rearwardly from the plate or fender A, at its center and the junction of the side wings, is a shank or arm 0, inclined correspondingly with the pitch of the seam B and standing edgewise at one side of said scam, the extensions or loops c of the shank or arm normally occupying the positions shown in Fig. 1, where their points or teeth 0 c are at such distance from the near side of said shank as to permit of its being readily slipped into this position, whereupon the loops or extensions 0 c, which, as hereinbefore mentioned, are of flexible metal, are pinched, through the use of a pair of tongs, or driven, if preferred, until the points or teeth 0 c pierce the seam, forcing the adjacent metal b 11 thereof and itself projecting into the transverse openings 0 c in the shank, as shown in Fig. 3, the contact of the under sides of the loops with the side of the seam limiting the movement of said loops in this operation, effectively securing the shank to said seam at these points and serving to support the breaker and guard rigidly and permanently in the desired position.

Ordinarily, if the improved guard and breaker be placed reasonably close, as well they may, owing to their great cheapness, or at short intervals on the roof, the desired result will be satisfactorily attained. At the same time, if a rail be considered more dosirable, the perforations a a iu the fenderA can be utilized for the passage of the screws or other fastenin gs for the rail.

hat we claim as our invention is as follows:

1. The combination with a metal roof, of a snow-guard and breaker comprising a headplate or fender provided with an arm or shank, the latter having lateral extensions provided with teeth or projections adapted to pierce the standing seam of said roof to which said guard and breaker is applied, substan tially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with a metal roof, of a snow-guard and breaker comprising a headplate or fender provided with an arm or shank, the latter having lateral extensions provided with teeth or projections adapted to pierce the standing seam of said roof to which said guard is applied and enter openings in said arm or shank substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination with a metal roof, of a snow-guard and breaker comprising a headplate or fender provided with an arm or shank, the latter having transverse openings therein and lateral extensions provided with teeth or projections, said shank and extensions being adapted to occupy positions on opposite sides of a standing seam of said root and said teeth to pierce said seam and enter said openings, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination with a metal roof, of a snow-guard and breaker comprising a headplate or fender provided with an arm or shank, the latter having transverse openings therein and lateral depending loops provided each with a tooth or projection, said shank and loops being adapted to occupy positions on opposite sides of a standing seam of said roof and said teeth to pierce said seam and enter said openings, substantially as for the purpose specified.

5. The combination with a metal roof, of a snow-guard and breaker comprising a head plate or fender provided with means of at tachment to a standing seam of said roof I00 and extending transversely of said seam, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination with a metal roof, of a snow-guard and breaker provided with means of attachment to a standing seam of the [o5 roof and comprising a head-plate or fender provided with lateral wings, the ends, only, of which being in close relation with said roof, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. The combination with a metal roof, of a snow-guard and breaker provided with means of attachment to a standing seam of the roof and comprising a head-plate or fender provided with lateral wings, the ends of which I are diminished in width and in close relation with said roof, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. The combination with a metal roof, of a snow-guard and breaker provided with an I arm or shank parallel with and secured to a standing seam of the roof and comprising a head-plate or fender having lateral wings, the ends of which are diminished in width and in close relation with said roof, substan- I tially as and for the purpose specified.

9. The combination with a metal roof, of a snow-guard and breaker comprising a headplate or fender having lateral wings, the ends of which are diminished in Width and in close relation with said ro0f,and provided with an arm or shank, the latter having transverse openings therein and lateral depending loops provided each with a tooth or projection, said shank and loops being adapted to occupy positions on opposite sides of a standing seam of the roof and said teeth to pierce said seam and enter said openings,

substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of January, 1893.

WILLIAM H. BERGER. Witnesses:

WM. H. POWELL, R. DALE SPARHAWK. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of January, 1893.

DANIEL B. ROCK.

Witnesses SAMUEL P. 00X,

RUFUs E. OULP. 

